Sleepless in California
by bunny girl1
Summary: *COMPLETE!!!* Ancient prophecies...deranged mediators...Jesse...need I say more? PLEASE R+R!!!!
1. The Dream

I was there again. Back in the Shadowland. I didn't know what I was doing there…I could only remember one thing: don't walk into the light. Oh yeah, and don't open any doors. Russel Crow had tastefully reminded me of that moments before. Then he had disappeared.   
  
Ghosts. I mean, really. Why can't they ever stick around for more than a few minutes at a time?   
  
Well, anyway, I was walking down the familiar corridor, wondering how the hell I got there, when there was a sound behind me. I turned, and came face to face with…Paul Slater.  
  
I kind of blinked at him for a second, and he grinned, not too nicely I noticed, back at me. Wonders never cease.   
  
"So nice to see you again, Suze," he said conversationally.  
  
"Uh…yeah," I murmured. "Right."  
  
Don't get me wrong. I'm not rude or anything. I mean, I know the proper response to a hot guy like that would have been, "Oh, I'm so happy to see you! May I please have the honor of making out with you right now?"  
  
But you know how it is when you meet the guy who had your boyfriend exorcised. You just don't say things like that.  
  
"So," he said. "Come here often?"  
  
What kind of question was that?  
  
"No, not really. How about you?" I said sarcastically.   
  
"All the time," he said, leering. "Wanna hang? I've got a hotel room…"  
  
Okay. Ewww.  
  
And who knew there were hotels in the afterlife?  
  
"No, not really, Paul." I turned my back on him to emphasize the meaning. I jumped when I felt his hand on my shoulder. He lowered his head next to mine, so we were practically cheek to cheek.   
  
"We could have so much fun, Suze…" he whispered, his breath hot against my skin.  
  
Okay. Tempting, but…double ewww.  
  
I spun around, fully intending to break his nose again and show him how much I wanted to "hang". But I was too shocked by what I saw to move a muscle. Sure, it was still Paul, alright…and he was smiling. And he had…rather sharp incisors, I must say. The first thought that came to my head was: okay, Suze. You're dealing with a vampire. You need a stake.   
  
My eyes darted around the corridor. Nope, no stakes. Just me and good old Paul. Oh, yeah, and the red box on the wall that said: Open in case of vampire.  
  
Well, gee, I wonder what I should do? Hmmm…  
  
Okay, the thing was, when I opened the box, I found myself wondering if this was supposed to be a sick joke. Because there was no stake.  
  
There was a No. 2 pencil.  
  
I gawked at it, feeling an incredible sense of déjà vu.  
  
Um, can you say psychotic real estate agent?  
  
Okay, so there I was, facing Paul, whose fangs were now dripping blood, with nothing but a No. 2 pencil. Since this was the second time I was going to stake a vampire (well, okay, so the first time it wasn't really a vampire, just a drugged schizophrenic), I decided to step back and take better aim. But before you can say, "Look, Mom! It's a flying No.2 pencil!", the pencil went, well…flying out of my hands. And disappeared.  
  
Needless to say, this freaked me out.  
  
"What the hell is wrong with this screwed up place!" I screamed.  
  
Paul shrugged. "You still up for making out?"  
  
Only he didn't say making out. Jeez.  
  
Just then, heard something. It sounded like a weird yell or something. Kind of monkey-ish. I turned in surprise, and my eyes bugged out of my head.  
  
It was Michael Meducci, swinging towards us from a vine, making Tarzan's classic yell. And wearing nothing but a loincloth.   
  
I am not even kidding.  
  
He landed a few feet away from us, and pointed angrily at Paul. "Unhand her, you fiend! She's making out with me!"  
  
Um…he didn't say making out, either.  
  
Paul threw back his head and laughed haughtily. "As if she would choose a little jungle boy over me!" Actually, I wouldn't say little, if those nicely defined abs, which I couldn't tear my eyes away from, were any indication.  
  
"Maybe not, but she'd choose both of you over me," came a voice from behind us. I turned. It was Tad Beaumont. This was really turning out to be a battle of the exes. "After all," he was saying. "I gave her her first kiss."  
  
"Yeah, well, I'm a mediator, so there," Paul spat angrily.  
  
"Well I have great abs!"  
  
"You're a freaking serial killer!"  
  
"So's your uncle!"  
  
I just stood there, halfway between shock and hysterical laughter.  
  
There was suddenly an ominous rumbling, like something dark approaching. I turned, half expecting to see Heather's ex-boyfriend. But it wasn't him.  
  
It was Jesse.  
  
Immediately my heart started pounding and my breathing quickened.  
  
Jeez, why do I always get like this around Jesse? Why can't I ever be smooth and sexy when he's around?   
  
He spoke, his voice so deep it sent shivers down my spine. "Susannah will be with me, because she loves me. Isn't that right, Susannah?" He smiled sweetly at me.  
  
"Uh…" Not too smooth, but what else could I say? I mean, I wasn't going to go, "Oh, yes, Jesse, I love you with all my heart and soul, Jesse!"   
  
"Ha! As if! You're dead!" Paul said, chuckling. Jesse's face contorted into a look of utter hatred - hey, he's pretty hot when he's mad - and he leaped at Paul. His muscular arm drew back, and nailed Paul right in the nose. Jesse stood up and watched me with one raised eyebrow and a smirk. Paul got up, practically crying.  
  
"He broke my nose again!"  
  
But I didn't care about the others, who were standing around, flexing their muscles for me. I only cared about Jesse, gazing at me so intensely with those deep, dark eyes, his devilish smirk still in place. I felt myself blushing.  
  
And I don't blush easy. Except where Jesse's concerned.  
  
"Would you like to go somewhere a little more…private?" he suggested in that deep, rich voice of his.  
  
Alright, I melted. So sue me.  
  
"S-sure," I said hesitantly. My face felt even hotter.  
  
I wasn't sure how it had happened exactly, but the scenery had changed to a darkened room, with a bed in the center, and the windows wide open, causing all the curtains in the room to wave.  
  
Creating a very sensual effect.  
  
Hey, if this was purgatory, who needed heaven?  
  
Jesse slowly approached me, his eyes never leaving mine. He put his arms around my waist, and drew me up close. I relaxed as I melded into his body, and snuggled into his warm shoulder. "Oh, Jesse…" I whispered.  
  
"Querida," he said, and I quivered at the word. "Do you want me?"  
  
"Oh, yes, Jesse, I want you…" I didn't know what had come over me. I suddenly…had this really urgent need to do the dirty. "Yesssssss…"  
  
Jesse smirked again, then kissed me. And not just any kiss. A French kiss. And all the while, I kept moaning his name over and over again, and saying some other stuff that don't want to mention here.  
  
And then…I woke up. 


	2. Upon Waking

I looked around my room, dazed. Hey, you would be dazed, too, if you had just been ripped from a very…uh…explicit fantasy involving the super-hot dead cowboy who lived your bedroom.   
I looked out the window, noting the full moon still high in the sky, casting an ethereal glow around my room. And then my eyes came into focus, and I noticed something that wasn't exactly welcomed at the moment.  
  
Jesse. Sitting on my bay window. Reading an upside-down book. And looking very hard like he was trying not to laugh.  
  
I frowned at him, wondering why he was acting so…strange.  
  
"Jesse?" I said.  
  
Jesse looked up, shocked, from his upside-down book. He looked at me. "Oh, you're up," he said, grinning. Still looking as though he were about to crack up.  
  
"Yeah," I said drowsily. "Um, is it really that funny to read Of Mice and Men upside-down? Because I never thought it was much fun right-side-up."  
  
He looked at the book on his lap. Then he looked back at my face. And exploded. I mean, seriously. Thank God nobody could hear him but me.  
  
"What?" I whispered as loud as I could without waking everyone. "What are you laughing at? Is there something on my face?"  
  
Jesse seemed unable to speak. He was actually getting blue in the face. Tears were streaming from his eyes. Whoa. What the hell did I miss?  
  
"Jeez, Jesse, breathe," I said, getting up, genuinely concerned. Not that he needed to breathe. I mean, he was dead for crying out loud.  
  
Now I was getting mad. I put my hands on my hips, and glared at him. I glared at him for four minutes, which was how long it took him to finally calm down. If he were alive when he'd started laughing, I'd say he'd be dead by now.  
  
"Susannah," he said, still laughing. "Oh, god, Susannah."  
  
"What?" I said fiercely. "Oh god what, dammit?"  
  
Jesse sat up again, wiping tears from his eyes. He looked back at me, and at my angry face, and burst into fresh peals of laughter.  
  
"Nombre de Dios," I said mockingly in my very heavily accented English. Then I stomped back to my bed, and, ignoring his laughter, pulled the covers of my head and turned away from him. After a while the laughs turned to chuckles, then snickers. Then there was silence. He probably disappeared.  
  
If only that were the case.  
  
When I lowered the covers to check if he was gone, I was shocked to find his face a mere inches from mine. He still had a smile and an amused look in his eyes. But there was also something else there, that I couldn't quite place.  
  
His proximity was a bit shocking, I'll admit. I mean, he kissed me a few days before, but he hadn't made another move since. And he's a pretty damn good kisser, you know, for a dead guy.  
  
So we just kind of looked at each other for a minute. His smile had faded, and we were both dead serious (pun intended), just kind of gazing at each other. After some of this, he reached out and stroked my cheek. "Querida," he breathed. He smiled faintly. My heart was doing somersaults. I mean, come on, the guy was about to kiss me again! His hand moved up my face and tangled itself in my hair, gently massaging my scalp.  
  
Mmmm. Very good  
  
But instead of leaning down and giving me the kiss of the century, he whispered into my ear, "You were talking in your sleep."  
  
First of all, I was shocked when his lips had missed mine by about four inches as he came toward me. I mean, I had my eyes closed and everything. I was totally ready for his soft lips. And then I noticed where he was and I was this close to going, "Dude! My lips are up here!"  
  
But then I froze as he said the words. Because I remembered my dream quite clearly. And I had a feeling I knew the general gist of what he had heard.  
  
And let me tell you, I suddenly felt like I was about to internally combust.  
  
"Is that why you were laughing at me?" I asked, burning up in my humiliation. Except that all that came out was a squeak and something that sounded like Spike coughing up a hairball.  
  
I guess Jesse felt me stiffen, because he put his other arm around me, and whispered, "Relax, querida. You have nothing to be ashamed of."  
  
But boy was I ashamed. "What - what did you h-hear?" I stuttered.  
  
Jesse only chuckled.  
  
Never mind, I didn't want to know.  
  
"Shhh," Jesse lifted his head and looked into my eyes. "Querida…" he said it so lovingly, I had to smile, however small that smile was.  
  
Then he leaned over and kissed me.  
  
Again.  
  
And this time, it was for real. 


	3. The Trouble Begins

AN-Thanks a bunch for the great reviews! I'm glad you guys are enjoying the story so far. Well, here's Chapter 3! I hope it lives up to you expectations!  
  
  
I woke up the next morning to find that, not surprisingly, Jesse was gone. But then what had I expected? To wake up to his smiling face and strong arms wrapped around me like in those sappy romance novels Cee Cee likes to read?  
  
Nope. Not my Jesse.  
  
And I didn't care that technically, he wasn't "mine". I was just gonna call him that, and whoever disagreed could come and say it to my face.  
  
I rolled over and smiled into my pillow, remembering the events of the past night. Jesse had been so sweet. After that beautiful kiss, he had actually climbed under the covers with me (seriously!). Nothing steamy, and he hadn't forced himself on me or anything like that. We had just kind of looked at one another for a while, laying next to each other. It was so peaceful.  
  
And then his hand had brushed mine beneath the covers.  
  
I had actually jumped, completely startled. I just hadn't expected it. As soon as I jumped, however, Jesse had smiled sheepishly and pulled his hand away.  
  
I could have slapped myself.  
  
Instead, I reached out, almost panicking for a second, and grabbed his hand. I held onto his hand like my life depended on it. Almost like…that was the moment where I could have lost him.  
  
When I grabbed his hand, Jesse's face had shown nothing short of utter shock. I guess I must have grabbed his hand a little too…uh…eagerly. I realized my grip was way too tight, and loosened it, feeling my face start to heat up.  
  
And then Jesse had smiled at me.  
  
And there was something about that smile that was so sweet, I had to smile back. His fingers interlocked with mine, and there I was, in the greatest moment of my cursed life: in a bed, with the man that I loved, holding his hand, with him looking at me so…lovingly. And then Jesse did something that shocked the hell out of me. In this incredibly soft and gentle voice, he sang to me.  
  
"Oh, Susannah, no don't you cry for me,  
'Cause I come from Alabama with a banjo on my knee."  
  
  
My eyes started watering at this point.  
  
"Me querida…yo te quiero, me querida…"  
  
I had no idea what he had just said, but by the look in his eyes, I knew it was a profound statement.  
  
I couldn't help what I did next. I practically flew into his arms, and sobbed (that's right - sobbed!) into his shoulder. "Oh, Jesse!" I said. And that was all I said.  
  
I fell asleep like that, warm and cozy in Jesse's arms.  
  
"Jesse…" I whispered into my pillow. "I love you…"  
  
Gee, I could write an entire series of sappy novels for Cee Cee, couldn't I? Well, it's not so hard when you're in love with someone as perfect as Jesse. Well, perfect except for the fact that he's dead, of course.  
  
"I'm leaving in fifteen minutes, whether you're ready or not, Suze!" I heard Sleepy shout from outside my bedroom.  
  
"Dammit…" I muttered, stumbling out of bed. I completely forgot that today was the first day of school. Yippee. Hopefully this year I wouldn't run into any evil ghosts or psychotic killers.  
  
Yeah, right.  
  
  
  
It was hell on earth at school.  
  
The hallways were packed with students trying to find their classes. Everyone's schedules seemed to be totally screwed up, including mine, which only had four periods on it, three of which were lunch. Well, there's California for you.  
  
I managed to catch up with Cee Cee and Adam in the hallway after my third period English class (why would you put an Irish guy who can barely speak English to teach that class?). "Cee Cee! Adam!" I called out to them, squeezing in between two over-buffed football players. Cee Cee was the first to spot me.  
  
"Hey, I've been looking for you all day! What class do you have next?"  
  
I looked down at my schedule. "Lunch," I said grimly. "Never mind, though, I'll just follow you to your class."  
  
Cee Cee looked at me disapprovingly. "You really need to get that schedule fixed."  
  
"What for?" Adam said, peering over my shoulder at my schedule. "It looks just fine to me."  
  
Cee Cee gave him a look that spelled death.  
  
"I'll fix it after school," I said.  
  
Cee Cee shrugged, and the three of us started walking towards Cee Cee's Algebra II class. "Hey!" Cee Cee said suddenly, "Did you see that new kid?"  
  
"You mean that guy all the girls are crying over? Pu - lease," Adam said.  
  
"Never mind him," Cee Cee said, turning back to me. "Suze…this guy was so, unbelievably, HOT. You have no idea. Kelly Prescott is calling him her next boyfriend. But Suze," she dropped her voice to and almost inaudible whisper, "he said he was looking for a Susannah Simon."  
  
"Huh?" I said, slowing down so that some guys shoved me forward from behind. "Looking for me? Why?"  
  
Cee Cee's eyes lit up. "I think he wants to go out with you."  
  
But I didn't have time to reply to that statement. Because that was the moment that we turned the corner into Cee Cee's class, and I came face to face with the last person I ever wanted to see again.  
  
Paul Slater.  
  
And he was giving me that same creepy grin from my dream, except there wasn't any blood dripping or anything.  
  
"Hey, Suze," he said lightly, as if we were old buddies.   
  
"H - hi," I stammered, not knowing what to say. Cee Cee nudged me from behind. "Uh - um…" Cee Cee put her face in her hands. I felt myself starting to blush.  
  
Paul's grin widened. I would have found it very sexy if his eyes weren't looking quite so malicious. "Cat got your tongue?"  
  
I glared at him. I didn't realize that the entire class, which had been bustling moments before, had suddenly hushed. "What are you doing here?" I spat angrily. "Stalking me?"  
  
Paul tsk-tsked, which only made me angrier. I was seriously about to break his nose. Oh, yeah, if only Jesse were here, this guy would be dead.  
  
And then Jesse suddenly materialized behind Paul.   
  
My surprised look must have clued in Paul, because his eyes narrowed. "Your friend here to rescue you?" he whispered so only I could hear. Behind him, Jesse was scowling. He must have realized who we were dealing with here.  
  
"Don't you dare touch her," Jesse growled.   
  
Paul only snickered.  
  
Jesse looked like he was about to pull another WWF on me, but luckily, Mr. Snizzle chose that moment to walk into class. He looked at me and Paul and Cee Cee. Then he said, "Let's break this up and take our seats."  
  
Cee Cee took me by the shoulders and directed me to two seats in the back. She had to use quite some force to move me along, since I was paralyzed with anger, still glaring at Paul, who was walking to an empty seat at the front of the room, still grinning.  
  
"Don't worry, I'll come when you call me," Jesse whispered to me so Paul couldn't hear. He dematerialized.  
  
As soon as Cee Cee and I were seated, she hissed at me, "What was all that about? Don't you realize that that hot guy wants to go out with you?"  
  
"Cee Cee," I whispered back. "He's…he's not what you think." I risked a glance up at Paul. He was scribbling something quickly on a scrap of paper. Probably some evil plans to conquer the world. He finished, folded the note up, and passed it over. The note was passed through the line of desks separating us, until it got to me. Nobody was even listening to Mr. Snizzle's review of the Pythagorean Theorum. They were all curious about what was going on between me and Paul. I unfolded the letter, and read.  
  
We need to meet after school. Don't worry, I'll find you.  
Always a pleasure,  
Paul  
P.S. Don't be so afraid of me, Suze. I won't bite. Vampire's honor.  
  
  
I folded the letter back up, completely stunned. What the hell…   
  
Was he watching my dreams or something…?  
  
"You could say that," a jeering voice whispered inside my head.   
  
I sat up from my desk in shock. "Can I help you with something, Miss. Simon?" Mr. Snizzle droned in his monotonous voice.  
  
"Uh -" I looked at Paul. He was the only one in the room not looking at me, and I could tell he had a big grin on his face. "No - I'm okay…"  
  
"Then I suggest you take a seat now." Mr. Snizzle, annoyed, went back to teaching.   
  
Cee Cee looked at me with concern. "Suze, what's wrong with you? Are you okay?"  
  
"Y - yeah…" I muttered. I looked down and noticed my hands were trembling. That was because I was officially freaked out.   
  
Inside my head, the voice persisted. "You're confused now. And you're afraid. Don't be afraid of me. There's so much I could teach you…"  
  
"Get out of my head…" Alright, I'll admit it: I was terrified. I had never encountered anything like this before.  
  
"No, Suze, you don't want me out of your head…"  
  
"What are you?"   
  
"I am the heir to the Dark Throne…"  
  
"What do you mean…what are you talking about?"  
  
"And you are my queen Susannah…"  
  
"Go away…"  
  
"You could have so much more with me than with that Jesse…he is nothing compared to me…"  
  
"He is more than you'll ever be, you freak!!!"  
  
"Suze!" I heard Cee Cee exclaim. Some other people gasped audibly. Mr. Snizzle looked at me in shock, his jaw hanging open. My eyes snapped open. I looked around the room, confused and paranoid. Then I looked at Paul. His eyes were closed, and his nails were digging into the wood of his desk. He was twitching somewhat. As if he noticed me looking at him, he snapped out of his trance and flashed me a smile.  
  
That's it. I had to see Father Dom about this.  
  
I picked up my book bag, and without a backward glance, I left the room. Nobody stopped me.  
  
I walked briskly down the hall towards Father Dom's office. That was way weird. Paul was actually inside my head, talking to me…telepathically. And I was talking back! Without even opening my mouth! Now that I really thought about it, I realized that I had been in a trance just like Paul. I had snapped out of it when I had, in my rage, involuntarily shouted my last statement out loud instead of "telepathically".  
  
I reached Father Dom's office, and took a deep breath before opening the door.  
  
Well, there goes my normal school year.  
  
  
AN-Hope you guys liked it! Please review!!! I would like to dedicate this story to my good friend Amanda, AKA Carrie Bradshaw (I won't mention your other name - I don't want to spoil your shameless self-promotion!), who got me addicted to the Mediator series. Thank you!!! 


	4. Enter the Mystery Girl

Father Dom was looking at me like I had just sprouted another head. "Did you hear anything I just said?" I demanded. "This is serious!"  
  
"I…I understand," Father Dom said. "But…I can't quite believe…I mean, his grades…"  
  
"Academics aren't everything. Didn't Meducci teach you anything?"  
  
"Yes…" Father Dom fingered his cigarette pack nervously. "You say he mentioned a Dark Throne?"  
  
"Yes. And something about me being a queen or something."  
  
Father Dom began pacing around his office. "You're sure you heard right?"  
  
"Positive."  
  
"Well…the Dark Throne…yes…" He continued to pace, looking like he was in deep concentration.  
  
"Well, do you know anything about it?"  
  
Father Dom stopped pacing. He looked at me for a moment. "Yes, in fact I have."  
  
"Well?" I asked impatiently. I hate when people are so mysterious. It just really bothers me.  
  
"Well, what?"  
  
I sighed in frustration. "Father Dom -"  
  
"Susannah, I can't say anymore. I don't want you to…get any ideas."  
  
I felt like punching him. I mean, where does he get off? Jeez, just freakin' tell me what's going on!  
  
"Susannah, I just want you to keep an eye on Paul for now. Report any more incidents to me immediately. I need to do some research." I noticed the small smile playing on his lips as he said that. And I could already think of someone way more experienced at research than him.   
  
"Alright then," I said. "See you." I turned to leave.  
  
"Susannah, wait," Father Dom said.  
  
"What is it?" I asked innocently.  
  
He looked at me pleadingly. "Please, promise me you won't go off trying anything on your own. Please."  
  
I smiled reassuringly at him. What was one more broken promise, after all? So I crossed my fingers behind my back, and said, "Sure thing, Father Dom. I promise."  
  
  
"Hey, guys," I said, joining Cee Cee and Adam at our lunch table. They both looked up, surprised and worried at once.  
  
"Suze, where've you been?" Cee Cee asked. "Are you okay?"  
  
"The whole school's talking about it," Adam said. "You know, how you freaked out and went all weird on Paul."  
  
"What?!" I said. They think I went weird on Paul? "Hello? Paul went weird on me!"  
  
"That's not what I heard," Adam replied.  
  
I sighed. "You know, I don't really care what people say anymore." I pulled out my ham and mayonnaise sandwich.  
  
"Suze…"  
  
Oh, no. It was that voice again.  
  
Paul.  
  
I turned, and sure enough, Paul was sitting, eating his lunch right behind me, his eyes narrowed on me. "Not now," I thought. "After school."  
  
"Sure thing." He grinned wolfishly at me. But he didn't say anything else to me.  
I turned back to Cee Cee. "Hey, Cee, I need you to do me a big favor."  
  
Cee Cee looked up from her sub. "What?"  
  
"I need you to research something for me. Um…I don't have much info on it, but I need you to find out anything you can about it."   
  
Cee Cee raised her eyebrows. "Okay."  
  
"I need you to find out about something called the Dark Throne. Capitalized." Cee Cee scribbled it down. I continued, "And the heir of the Dark Throne. And, uh…there's a queen, too."  
  
Cee Cee looked down at what she had scribbled. "It's not much to go by…"  
  
"Do whatever you can," I said. "It's important."  
  
"What's it for?" Adam asked.  
  
"It's an article I'm working on for the newspaper," I lied. "On ancient legends and folklore."  
  
"Cool," Adam said, returning to his lunch.  
  
I am such a good liar.  
  
That was when I noticed her.  
  
A few tables away. She was sitting all by herself, just kind of looking around, like she was lost. She was really pretty, with sparkling brown hair and big, bright eyes. Damn, I wished I could look like her. Then Jesse would want me for sure. She spotter me looking at her.  
  
And she scowled. She honest-to-God scowled at me, like I was a bug or something. I mean, really, the nerve! Ain't I allowed to look?  
  
"Hey, who's that girl over there?" I asked, pointing.  
  
"What girl?" Adam asked, his mouth full of cookies.  
  
"Right there, sitting by herself," I said, pointing again.  
  
Cee Cee looked at the table in question, then looked back at me. "Um, Suze…are you alright? You're just acting really - uh - weird today. Did something happen to you over the summer or something?"  
  
I just blinked at her. "What do you mean?"  
  
"Suze -" she lowered her voice. "There's nobody there. That table is empty."  
  
I looked back at the girl at the table. She glared back at me. Okaaaaay… Has Susannah Simon officially gone mental? She didn't have a ghostly glow, so she wasn't dead. Cee Cee and Adam couldn't see her, so she wasn't alive.  
  
So then what the hell was she?!  
  
I was tempted to go and ask her, but that wouldn't help my reputation much. She was still looking at me like she wanted to kill me, and I looked back, daring her to try…  
And then I got a brilliant idea.  
  
Trying to look as inconspicuous as possible, I scribbled on a piece of scrap paper,  
  
  
*Go ask that girl over there who and what she is and why she's here  
  
  
Then I mentally called out to Jesse. He materialized seconds later, looking angry and worried, but still as hot as usual. "Where is that pendeho?" he demanded. "Did he hurt you? I swear I'm gonna -" Then he stopped, seeing Paul right behind me. "YOU!" he roared, pointing accusingly. I spun around, and saw Paul snickering into his soup. I turned back to the girl. She was looking right at Jesse. Wait a sec - she could actually see Jesse? Way weird. I didn't like that weird smile on her face as she watched Jesse. She better not be thinking of taking my guy.  
  
Well, not mine, technically, but whatever.  
  
I turned back to Jesse, who was actually making Paul's table shake a little, I noticed. This was not going according to plan. I stuffed my little note in my pocket, and decided to go to Plan B, which I had just concocted, before someone (besides me) got a concussion.  
  
"Um, I need to use the little girl's room," I said loudly. "I'll be right back."  
I snuck a last peak at the picnic table where the girl was and mentally cursed myself when I saw that she was gone. Then I went into the school. Thankfully, Jesse had taken the hint and materialized beside me, arms crossed, still looking mad as anything.  
  
"Jesse," I said angrily. "I called you out here because I needed your help with something, and -"  
  
"Oh," Jesse interrupted with a sneer. "The big, bad, mediator finally admits that she needed help with something!"  
  
Jesse's hostility took me by surprise. I mean, I can understand him being mad and Paul, but little old me? Jesse had just gotten me extremely P.O. ed.   
  
"Yes, Jesse, I did call you because I needed your help," I growled. "But since you don't seem to want to help, I'll just be going, then." I turned to leave.  
  
"Susannah, wait." Jesse grabbed my sleeve. "I'm - I'm - sorry…"  
  
I looked at him for a second. He's so cute when he's apologizing.   
  
"I'm sorry too," I said.  
  
He smiled down at me. For a second I thought he was going to kiss me again, but then I remembered what I called him for. "Jesse, remember that girl that was sitting at the picnic table behind you? Did you see her? Brown hair, pink sweater…"  
  
Jesse looked thoughtful. "Yes, I did see her. What about her?"  
  
"Well…did you notice that she wasn't alive or dead? I mean…what was she?"  
  
Jesse looked at me sympathetically. For a second I thought he was about to laugh at me. "You don't what she was?"  
  
"Obviously, not."  
  
"Well," Jesse said slowly. "She was a demon."  
  
*PLEASE REVIEW!!! 


	5. Demon Prophecy

AN- Thanks for the great reviews!!! So happy!!! Somebody asked what pendeho means. Well, there's no exact translation for it in English, but let's just say that...well, it's a veeery improper word. Read and Enjoy!!!  
  
For a second, a very loooong second, I just kind of stood there, gawking at him, and it occurred to me that if I turned my head at just the right angle, I could get a better shot of Jesse's inspirational abs. Then what he had said actually registered, and sort of ruined my moment.   
  
"She's a WHAT?"  
  
"A demon," Jesse repeated. "You know, the guardians of the "spirit world", as you call it, the holders of the keys, private demons, general demons, royal demons…" He glanced at me, seeing that I wasn't getting any of this. "Susannah…D-E-M-O-N-S."  
  
"Um…I have no idea what you're talking about."  
  
Jesse sighed. "You mean to tell me, that you are a mediator, who aids ghosts in getting to wherever they're supposed to be, and you don't know what demons are? Demons are the basics of the basics, querida."  
  
"Look, Jesse," I shuffled my feet. "I never heard of demons. I mean, I heard of them, but I didn't know they were real. What do they do? Are they important?"  
  
"Well, yeah, I guess they're pretty important…I don't know much about them. They're very mysterious. They pretty much take care of keeping things on earth in order. The only specific job I know that they do is referring ghosts to a mediator that suits them. Of course, the ghosts don't always listen…"  
  
"Like you?" I said with a smirk, folding my arms.  
  
"Well…yes," Jesse said, smiling a little. "They referred me to this really old mediator. I went to him for help, but he couldn't even hear anything I said. He kept saying in this British accent, 'What did you say, lad? Buck up boy!', so I just left."  
  
I laughed out loud. They mental image of Jesse talking to a deaf old British guy was too much. Then I got this image of Jesse in britches and a top hat (don't ask me how I thought of that one) and I had to laugh some more. I mean, just think about it.  
  
Jesse was looking annoyed. "Well, it wouldn't be that funny if it had been you trying to find out where you're supposed to go," he grumbled. I saw the corners of his mouth turning upwards, though, and knew he was trying not to laugh.  
  
"Oh, god," I said, wiping the tears from my eyes. I hoped no one had heard me cracking up for apparently no reason. It had been pretty loud. "Oh…jeez…anyway, Jesse, um – why do you think that, uh, demon, was here, then?"  
  
Jesse shrugged. "I told you, nobody knows much about what the demons are here for." He frowned then. "Though I have to admit, I've never seen one of them among the living. It's a bit…strange."  
  
"Hmmm…" I put a finger to my chin, thinking. "Well…have you seen her before?"  
  
Jesse's brows furrowed in thought. "Come to think of it, I have. A few times."  
  
Uh oh. I didn't like that.   
  
"Do you have any idea why?"  
  
"No, Susannah. Unless…"  
  
"Unless what?" I said anxiously. This was starting to worry me.  
  
"Unless…I've overstayed my welcome on earth."  
  
That was what did it. I was going to have to kick this girl's butt now. Nobody was taking my Jesse anywhere. "I won't let her take you, Jesse. I promise," I said, giving him a look that I hoped would tell him my feelings for him without me actually having to say them.  
  
Because I loved the guy to death, literally, and I couldn't bring myself to tell him.  
  
But if Jesse read the words in my eyes, then he surely didn't heed them. Because then he smirked at me in a way that made my spine tingle. "Oh…" I breathed involuntarily. It was amazing how fast my heart was suddenly pounding just because he was looking at me.  
  
"And why," Jesse said, smiling sweetly, "would you want me to stay here, querida?" he asked, quirking an eyebrow up, folding his arms, and leaning against the wall.  
  
That killed me right there. My knees started wobbling. "Because…because I…because I lo –"   
  
AHHHHHHH! I ALMOST SAID IT AGAIN, DAMMIT!!!!!!  
  
I took a deep breath, and gave him a sweet smile of my own. "Because, Jesse, that would mean I worked so hard to bring you back from the Shadowland for no reason. I mean, I wouldn't have bothered if I had known you were going back there, anyway."   
  
"You wouldn't have?" Jesse asked in his deep, silky voice.  
  
"Um – uh…" he caught me off guard again. I really couldn't take much more of this before I broke and started groveling at the guy's feet.  
And let me tell you, Jesse would never let me live it down.  
Just then, the speaker went off: "All students are to report to their next class. Thank you."  
  
"Oh, gosh, I've gotta go! Next class, you know – we'll talk more at home!" And I walked away as quickly as I could as the halls started filling up with students.  
  
"Bye, querida," I heard Jesse call out. I turned just in time to glimpse him before he dematerialized. And just for a second, I could have sworn I caught him leering at me.  
  
Jesse. Leering. At me. Those four words do not belong in a sentence together.  
  
  
It was after school, as I was heading for the exit, when Cee Cee caught up to me.   
"Suze!" she called out breathlessly. "Wait!"  
  
I stopped and turned. "Oh, hey, Cee Cee. What's up?" She was bent over, breathing like she had just run a marathon. "Jeez, Cee – you must really be out of shape."  
Cee Cee looked daggers at me. "Don't remind me. Anyway – I think I found some stuff on the Dark Throne thing you were talking about. It's kind of interesting." She handed me a thick packet of papers.  
  
"Cee Cee – I asked you to do a little research, not to write a report."  
  
"It all has to do with some ancient Greek legend," she said, ignoring me. "About demons and how they control the traffic of the spirit world."  
You can guess that she totally got my attention with that last statement. Man, who needs old Father Dom when I've got Cee Cee? She's my personal secretary! (I mean that in a good way – like – uh…I'll just shut up now)  
  
"Well," I asked, getting anxious now, "what about them?"  
  
"The demons are said to guide lost souls to their final destinations," Cee Cee continued. Jeez, they take credit for my job? I do not like demons. "But there's an ancient prophecy about a dynasty of all-powerful demons that have been slowly gaining power since the dawn of time. The highest one, known as the "Dark One", sits in the Dark Throne. He has many sons, all of whom could become the "Unholy One", the heir to the Dark Throne."  
  
Crap. Paul.  
  
"But only one of them, of course, can become the Unholy One and the ruler of the cosmos. It is also said that the Unholy One will have to take a wife – I think that's the queen you told me about – in order to spawn his own sons. It is one of his sons that is prophesized to one day destroy the universe. And there's this other side story about this female demon who will rebel against the Dark Dynasty and try to open the gateway to Hell. Well, anyway – it's all in there, everything you need to know about the Dark Throne."  
  
"Thanks," I murmured. I had a lot to think about, now. Great. I just defeated Maria and Diego like, two weeks ago, and now I have to deal with ancient demon prophecies.  
  
This is way uncool.  
  
Unfortunately, I didn't get a chance to really figure out the meaning behind all the prophesies until late that night.  
  
And by then it was already too late for me and Jesse.  
  
AN- Sorry this chapter was so short, but I'm trying to get out a chapter a day. I am determined to finish this fic, hopefully, this week. 


	6. Paul's Facelift

Can you guess who was waiting for me when I got home?  
  
You guessed it (or maybe you didn't) - good old Paul!  
  
I knew something was up the moment I came home and my mom gave me that look that she's given me the last four times a guy came over. You know - the one where the eyes are all big and happy, and there's a big goofy grin? Yeah, that one.  
  
"Suzie, honey," she said happily. "There's someone here to see you!"  
  
I groaned inwardly, already knowing who it was. "Oh, really?" I said, trying to act surprised.  
  
"Yes, really," she told me in a honeyed voice. "A boy…named Paul. Do you know him?"  
  
I tried to smile. "Yes, we're friends. Could you tell him to come up to my room, please?"  
  
My mom blinked at me. "You want to be a alone with him - in your room."  
  
"Mom, don't worry - it's a project for school, and I've got all the stuff saved on my computer, so we've got to work upstairs."  
  
I am such a good liar.  
  
"Oh," my mom said, looking crestfallen. "Well, alright then, I'll tell him." She went to the kitchen where, I supposed, Paul was.   
  
I went up to my room and shut the door behind me. I dumped my stuff on the floor, and sat down on my bed, mentally preparing myself for a conversation with Paul. Oh, Jeez, why couldn't I just be a normal girl? Why couldn't it be some other sucker doing this stuff besides me? But then again, if I wasn't a mediator, I would never have met Jesse -  
  
Jesse materialized beside me.  
  
"Jesse!" I said. I hate it when they sneak up on me like that.  
  
He raised a brow. "Nice to see you too, querida." He looked as though he were about to say more, except that at that moment, there was a knock at the door.  
  
"Hey, Suze, open up," came Paul's voice. "I got more info on that - uh - project of ours."  
  
I looked pleadingly at Jesse. He looked back at me with a look of calm fury that scared even me. The mirror on my wall started to wobble. "What is he doing here?" he whispered.  
  
"Uh…just - listen, please don't freak out. I need to find out some information from him."  
  
"About what?" Jesse's eyes narrowed on me.  
  
"Suze? I know you're there. Open up!" He knocked louder this time.  
  
"I'll tell you after!" I whispered frantically. "Just go away right now!"  
  
"Oh, no, you're not getting rid of me this time." He went to the window, opened it, and climbed out. "I'll be out here, listening to the whole thing."  
  
"Promise not to interfere?"  
  
"I promise, Susannah," he muttered resentfully. He ducked to the side, where he couldn't be seen. I couldn't be sure, but I was getting the distinct impression that Jesse was jealous.  
  
I could seriously get used to this.  
  
"Susannah! I'm not waiting any longer!" And the locked door flew open, without me laying a hand on it. The lock, which had snapped off, went clanking off into a corner of my room.  
  
Whoa.  
  
And there was Paul, looking pretty darned annoyed, glaring at me. I felt fear welling up in me. I pushed it back down, glancing at the window to make sure Jesse wasn't jumping in to "come to my rescue" or anything like that. Thankfully, he was keeping his promise.  
  
"So nice to - uh - see you, Paul," I said, trying not to sound too horrified. He stepped into my room and looked around, the anger in his face slowly melting away.   
  
"Very…girly," he said with an air of approval that annoyed me.  
  
"Uh, yeah…" I said, walking around him and tried to shut the door, which, unfortunately, wouldn't stay closed, due to Paul's - uh - rage. "Well, I am a girl, you know - " I gave the one last hard shove, and with an unladylike grunt, I managed to jam the door shut.  
  
"Yes, you are a girl…" Paul said softly, with a small smile playing at his lips.   
  
"Right…" He was already starting to creep me out. "We need to talk."  
  
"Yes we do," he agreed.  
  
"First of all," I said, motioning towards the door and scowling at him, "you're fixing that."  
  
Paul laughed. "Don't worry, Suze, I'll pay for the door. Sorry about breaking it - you know how it is." He winked.  
  
"No, I don't know how it is," I said, sitting on my bed and crossing my legs. "Enlighten me."  
  
Paul sighed and sat on my pink inflatable chair. "There's so much I want to show you, Suze. We are so powerful, the two of us. I don't know where to begin."  
  
I narrowed my eyes at him. "How about we begin at the part your freak dad, Mr. "Dark One", created you and set you loose on earth to find your queen and become Mr. "Unholy One"." I leaned back to watch his reaction.  
  
He looked surprised for a second. "Boy, you have done your homework," he said in awe. "You will make an excellent queen…"  
  
At that moment we both heard an odd thumping sound outside the window. Both of us turned our heads. Thankfully, there was nothing visible, though I knew exactly what had made that sound. I hoped to God he wasn't planning on continuing with the noises, either, or I would be forced to kick his butt.  
  
"Excuse me," I growled, getting up to catch Paul's attention again. "But I don't think I'll be marrying you. I do have a choice you know. And there is no reason I can think of for wanting to marry a psychotic demon prince - thing - got that?"  
  
Paul got up as well, looking me square in the eye. "There are a million reasons why any woman would want to marry me. You should feel honored."  
  
I nearly laughed at that one. I managed to restrain myself, however.  
  
"And," he continued, "I am so much more than that - that pathetic ghost that lives with you - so much more powerful - god, how could you possibly choose him over me!"  
Paul was livid. "He is nothing!"  
  
"How dare you!" I practically shouted. "Jesse is so much better than you! You - you're the one that's nothing! The only woman that would possibly want you is a hoochie mama! No woman could ever love you! Especially me! And besides - I - I already love Jesse!"  
  
I regretted the words as soon as I said them. Because I remembered one second too late who was sitting right outside listening to my every word. I glanced at the window. "Dammit," I muttered. Why can't I keep my mouth shut?  
  
Paul must have noticed my eyes flicker towards the window. "Oh…" he said suddenly, grinning maliciously. "It's your little boyfriend, isn't it?" his voice said inside my head. "The love of your life? The reason you live? The thing you wake up in the morning for?"  
  
I shook my head defensively. No way was this guy learning anything about my non-existent love life. "You leave Jesse alone," I thought back to him. "He has nothing to do with this."  
  
Paul's eyes glinted dangerously. "He has everything to do with this. You just don't know it yet."  
  
Then I said out loud, hoping to get Jesse's mind off of what I knew he was thinking about right now, "Who was that demon I saw at lunch?"  
  
"Oh, her," Paul said, dropping his leer. "She was just one of my underlings. They're not supposed to leave the Shadowland. She probably slipped through a rip in the dimension somewhere." He snorted. "She has some ridiculous plan to release the demons in Hell and lead them to overthrow the dynasty. I'm just letting her exist because she amuses me."  
  
Cee Cee's words came back to me. She must be that female demon rebel she was talking about.   
  
"What's her name?" I asked.  
  
Paul grinned at me. "Thinking of joining her? She'll only make you all her slaves, afterwards."  
  
"No, I just wanted to know her name."  
  
"Her name Bianca."  
  
So, now what? I had to stop her, too? Jeez, I needed to talk to Father Dom, ASAP.   
  
"Suze," Paul said, taking a step towards me. "You will marry me. You can't say no. You will not say no."  
  
And as much as I would have liked to scream, "NOOOOO!!!!!" right in his face, I just couldn't do it. Seriously, it was like my lips were glued together. And then I realized that my legs were walking towards Paul. Wait a minute - why wasn't my body listening to me?! What was Paul doing to me?!?  
  
Paul just looked into my eyes. "Suze," he said, spreading out his arms. "Come to me."   
  
And much to my dismay, I walked right into his arms and wrapped my arms around his neck intimately. What the hell…?  
  
Paul smiled at me. "Suze…"  
  
"I love you, Paul. Not that nasty Jesse. You." Wait a second, that's not what I wanted to say!  
  
"Let's seal our love with a sacred kiss. Then you will be mine for all eternity."  
  
Say WHAT?  
  
His lips started coming towards mine, my head was tilting, my eyes were closing, my lips were puckering up…  
  
No! I don't want this! No! I don't want to be married to Paul for all eternity!  
  
JESSE!!!! HELP MEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!  
  
"SUSANNAH!!!"  
  
Jesse suddenly materialized next to us, and leaped at Paul just as our lips were about to touch. I fell backwards right on my butt (ouch!) and the spell broke. Great, I was in control of my body again! I crawled backwards until I was up against the wall, watching Jesse wrestling Paul to the ground.  
  
"Stick 'em, Jesse!" I shouted supportively, watching as Jesse threw a painful punch to Paul's jaw.  
  
Oh, no… Paul just shoved Jesse up against the wall and punched him.  
  
Oh, no…Jesse's bleeding.  
  
Oh, no… Paul's in for it now.  
  
Oh, no…I mean, oh, YES! Jesse's shirt just got ripped off!  
  
I know it sounds kinky, but as Jesse beat the crap out of Paul, all I could focus on were his huge biceps…broad, beautiful chest….the way his abs bunched and stretched as he punched…The way his back muscles looked so powerful…  
  
Did I ever mention that Jesse is HOT?  
  
Well, he is. EXTREMELY HOT.  
  
"Go back to the garbage can that you came from, you - !" Jeez, when did Jesse start using English curse words, anyway?  
  
"Ah, screw you!" Paul stumbled to his feet. He was bleeding all over. His previously nice face was totaled. Seriously - you should have seen him - I bet you would have laughed just as hard as I did.  
  
"Get out of my room, Paul!" I said, still laughing at him. "And don't forget to pay for my new lock!"  
  
Paul looked at me. "You - you will be mine!" Then he looked back at Jesse. "Next time we meet…" he smiled evilly. "You will regret ever messing with me."  
  
He turned and stomped out of my room. I heard some gasps from downstairs - probably the Ackermans seeing Paul's face - and then the front door opened and closed.   
  
Paul was gone.   
  
I got to my feet, and looked back at Jesse. He looked back at me, a worried look on his face. He came to me, and grabbed my hand. "Susannah, are you alright? Did he hurt you?"  
  
"I - uh…" It was hard to concentrate with his…uh…shirtless torso inches from my face. "Yeah…"  
  
Jesse noticed where I was looking…and blushed.  
  
I am not even kidding.  
  
And then I blushed, too.  
  
So we just stood there, blushing at each other, him still holding my hand.  
  
Until Mom broke the uncomfortable silence.  
  
"SUSANNAH SIMON, WHAT ON EARTH DID YOU DO TO THAT BOY!!!!!"  
  
Then me and Jesse blinked at each other, and we both burst into gales of laughter. And it was really funny, because I was laughing so hard that I couldn't stand upright - so without even realizing I was doing it, I leaned against Jesse's bare chest. His arms just kind of wrapped around me, and there I was, in Jesse's arms, and we were both still laughing hysterically.  
  
"Oh - oh - " I said, my laughter finally subsiding. "That was so good!"  
  
Jesse looked down at me, chuckling. "Yes, it was."  
  
His head started lowering towards mine…my head tilted, my eyes closed…this was one kiss I wouldn't mind being enslaved by…  
  
"SUSANNAH SIMON!!!!"  
  
We both jumped.  
  
"COME HERE NOW!!!!!!!!!"  
  
"Oh, uh…I guess I leave you to handle this?"  
  
I smiled at him. "I've fixed worse."  
  
He grinned back. "Well then…I'll see you later, querida…"  
  
"Yes…later…"  
  
I gazed longingly at him as he started to fade away. I'll admit though - I did manage to sneak one last peek at his chest.  
  
"SUSANNAAAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  
  
  
AN- That was a funny chapter! Well, at least it was fun for me to write. PLEASE REVIEW!!! 


	7. The Moment

It had taken me over an hour to calm Mom down. She had gone on and on about how whenever I meet a nice boy, I always have to scare them away or something. Then this had really pissed me off, cause you know, it's not my fault that all of my boyfriends had had angry ghosts trying to kill them, or had been killers themselves. And it didn't help that Dopey was right behind Mom the whole speech, making faces at me.  
  
I should stick Jesse on him, too.  
  
Anyway, once that was over, Mom had gone to wallow in her despair over her malfunctioning daughter with Andy.   
  
I pitied the guy. I really did.  
  
But that's what you get when you get married. Which is why I don't want to marry Paul. Maybe Jesse, but definitely not Paul.   
  
As soon as I got rid of Mom and gave Dopey a warning punch, I ran back to my room, phone in hand. I scanned the room: no Jesse. Good. I felt a little…uh…embarrassed about facing him again so soon. Especially after seeing him half naked like that. I mean, all it would have taken was a little tug on the string holding his pants up and…  
  
Whoa, there nelly! Calm the estrogen levels, Suze!  
  
Um - anyway - I shut the door (which, thanks to Paul, wasn't that easy), and flopped belly-down onto my bed. I dialed Father Dom's familiar number.  
  
"Hello?" came the voice of an old lady that I didn't recognize.  
  
"Um, hi," I said. "This is Susannah Simon, I'm a student at the school. Can I please talk to Father Dom?"  
  
There was a pause. "Please state your business."  
  
Huh?  
  
"Uh…I'm on the student council and I need to discuss some plans for a…uh…school barbecue. Could I please speak to him?"  
  
"Yes. And don't forget to pray to the Lord Almighty for good weather on your barbecue."  
  
Riiight…  
  
"Sure thing. Praise the Lord."  
  
"Did I just hear you say 'Praise the Lord', Susannah?" came Father Dom's voice.  
  
Oh. Now the nun decides to finally put him on the phone.  
  
"Oh, uh…I thought it was still the nun on the line. She told me to pray to the Lord Almighty."  
  
"And you listened," he said. I could hear the smile in his voice.  
  
"Sure did."  
  
"Well, Susannah," he said, serious again. "What did you find out about this Dark Throne?"  
  
Okaaay… I was not expecting that.  
  
"But I thought you said -"  
  
"I know what I said, Susannah. And I also know that whatever I tell you to do, you do the opposite. So I decided to use a little reverse psychology on you. And it certainly seemed to work."  
  
Uh, oh. Father D's getting smart. Not a good thing. Since he asked, though, I told him the whole story: all about the demons, Dark Throne, the dynasty, the prophecies, and the rebel Bianca. He didn't say a word the whole time I talked.  
  
"Father D? Father D, you there? Hello? Come in, Father D? Father D, I am -"  
  
"I heard you, Susannah."  
  
"Well, what do you think? Should we kick Bianca's butt first or Paul's? Though I strongly recommend Paul, since he wants to make me his eternal bride, you know?"  
  
"Susannah, we are not kicking anybody's butt. We…we need a plan."  
  
I rolled my eyes, forgetting that he couldn't see me. "Oh, whenever did plans help anything? Barging in unexpectedly has never failed me before."  
  
"It nearly failed you two weeks ago."  
  
Good point. Father D. was getting way too smart.  
  
"What's the plan, then?" I grumbled. I love Father Dom, but seriously, when's he gonna realize that sometimes the best thing is to kick a butt or three?  
  
"Well…I don't have one yet. But, Susannah, please, don't go barging in on a situation you can't handle without me. Give me some time and I'll think of something." He was silent for a moment. Then he said, as if on sudden inspiration, "…an exorcism."  
  
Oh, no. I'd had about enough of exorcisms over the summer, believe me.  
  
"Jeez, Father Dom, just let me punch Bianca into oblivion!"  
  
"No. You are not to try anything. Do you hear me Susannah Simon? Nothing. I need to think about how we are going to exorcise these…demons." He said the word as if it were a curse word. Well, he is a priest.  
  
"Fine, Father D, we'll do it your way then."  
  
"Good. Does Jesse know about this?"  
  
"Um…well, he knows some of it…not the whole story, though…"  
  
"Tell him. Tell him everything you just told me. And I'm warning you, if you try anything, Jesse will tell me."  
  
Yeah. The little snitch.  
  
"Don't worry, Father D, even if I wanted to try something, I wouldn't know where to start. I mean, I have no leads, you know."  
  
"Very good. And Susannah?"  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"The rip in the dimension is in the chapel. Where we exorcised you."  
  
"Um…okay…"  
  
"Just thought you should know…you know, just in case…"  
  
And he hung up.  
  
Was that supposed to be some kind of clue or something?  
  
Whatever, even if he was doing reverse psychology on me again, I was suddenly too lazy to get up and do anything. So I decided to read over the papers Cee Cee gave me. And let me tell you, there was A LOT to read. I wanted to find out more about this "rebel", so I skipped over to that part. It talked about how she was going to open the gateway to Hell by destroying a pure soul, thus releasing its energy.  
  
Uh, huh. Good luck finding a pure soul.  
  
I read on. It talked also about how Bianca would command the armies, but she would have to change herself first, because a demon could not control other demons, and neither could a human. Only a mixture of the two could commandeer the hoards. That got me thinking.  
  
If Bianca was releasing the demons with no way of controlling them…well, that could be big trouble. But what about Paul? Wasn't he half human, after all? He definitely wasn't a full demon, like Bianca. That must mean that…  
  
Was Paul using Bianca in order to gain control of the demon armies himself?  
  
Oh, boy, my head was starting to hurt.  
  
"What are you reading, querida?"   
  
I spun around to face Jesse. No longer shirtless. Dammit.  
  
"Jeez, Jesse, what happened to those chains I told you to use?"  
  
Jesse ignored me, his face stern, as he sat next to me, looking over my shoulder at the papers. "What's that about, Susannah? Demons…"  
  
"Uh, yeah…I just talked to Father Dom, and he's coming up with a plan to…you know…stop the demons from taking over the world and stuff."  
  
Jesse took the papers out of my hands. For ten minutes, he just sat there next to me, doing what must have been speed-reading, because he got through all fifty pages super quick. Whoa. It had taken me ten minutes just to read one of those pages. I mean, the font was really tiny, you know.  
  
When he was done reading, he looked up at me, his face unreadable. "And Paul is the heir to the Dark Throne?"  
  
I nodded.  
  
His eyes narrowed in anger. "And he wants you to be his queen?"  
  
"Yup."  
  
"And…this rebel demon…"  
  
"Was the demon we saw at lunch today. Her name is Bianca."  
  
"I see…" He thought for a few minutes, then looked up at me like he had just thought of something. "I believe that - assuming that Bianca cannot control the demon armies herself - Paul is using her to gain control of the demons."  
  
"Bingo," I said, grinning. I am so good.  
  
Jesse looked back down at me. Boy, he had such intense, brown eyes. "Susannah, do you know when this is supposed to happen?"  
  
I shrugged. "How should I know? I only just find out about this stuff this afternoon." I yawned and stretched. "You know, it never hurts to relax. I mean, it's not like Paul and Bianca are going to go and take over the world tonight."  
  
Jesse chuckled. "No, I guess not." He looked at me, his eyes amused. "So what should we do tonight besides saving the world?"  
  
I froze.  
  
OMG!!! DID HE JUST SAY WHAT I THINK HE SAID?????  
  
"Uh….. Sleep?" I suggested lamely.  
  
Smooth, Suzie. Real smooth.  
  
Jesse smirked at me, in, what I thought, was a suggestive way. Was he…leering at me again????  
  
No it must have been my imagination.  
  
But then again, I am the only girl he's even had the opportunity to…you know…uh…have physical contact with in more than a century.   
  
"Querida…" he breathed in this really sexy, throaty voice.  
  
I swallowed. My heart started pounding. Dammit, I hated when he made me go all weak like this.  
  
Jesse was inching closer to me. I backed up until I was sitting against the headboard. Nowhere to run. He leaned over me so his face was inches from mine, and put his arms on either side of the headboard, trapping me.  
  
What was he doing????? He never acted like this before!!!!!!!  
  
"Querida…" he repeated, still smirking at me. "What you told Paul this afternoon…about me…was it true?"  
  
I blinked at him. "Huh?"  
  
"Don't try to be sneaky, querida. I want to hear the truth from you."  
  
And then I remembered. The L word. Crap.  
  
I shrunk down as low as I could, and glanced at the door, hoping that someone would walk through and stop Jesse. No such luck.  
  
"Tell me, querida."  
  
I looked into Jesse's face again. He was no longer smirking or seductive or anything. He looked serious. And if I wasn't mistaken…he looked sort of desperate.  
  
"Uh…"  
  
"Querida, tell me…"  
  
"Um…"  
  
"I'm waiting…."  
  
"Er…"  
  
This was going well. Jesse was practically drilling holes into my eyesballs with his intense gaze. Why did he want to hear me say it again so bad? Did he…love me back?  
  
Keep dreaming, Suze.  
  
"I - I said that to gat Paul's attention away from where you were hiding."  
  
Jesse's smirk returned. God, he knows just how to play me. "Are you sure that's all, Susannah?"  
  
"P - pretty s - sure…"  
  
He leaned over more so we were nose to nose. Then he whispered, almost inaudibly, "Are you positive?"  
  
And before I could stop myself, I said, "No…"  
  
He whispered into my ear. "Querida, I want to hear you say the words again. Right now. Don't be afraid. I need to hear them again…"  
  
I swallowed. My breathing was labored and ragged all of a sudden, like I'd just run a run a mile. How embarrassing.   
  
I knew he wouldn't leave me alone until he got what he wanted, though, so I whispered, even more quiet then him, "I love you, Jesse." Out of nowhere, my eyes started filling with tears. "I love you."  
  
Then Jesse lifted his head, and he had the sweetest smile on that I had ever seen. "I love you too, querida."   
  
My heart literally stopped breathing as he said that. He looked at me for another second, then bent down and gave me another beautiful kiss.  
  
Then he dematerialized, leaving me sitting on my bed alone and in total shock.  
  
  
A/N: Hope you guys enjoyed! REVIEW!!!!!!!!! 


	8. Unwelcomed Visitor

I couldn't get over what had just happened. It was two in the morning, and I had school tomorrow. But no matter how hard I tried to get to sleep, I just couldn't. I couldn't think about anything except You-know-who.  
  
Screw the demons. I had other things to worry about.  
  
"Oh, Jesse…" I murmured under my breath.  
  
"Querida…I am here…"  
  
"Jesse…"  
  
"Querida…"  
  
"Jesse…"  
  
"Querida…"  
  
"Jesse…"  
  
"Querida…"  
  
"Jesse…"  
  
"Oh, please, stop that already, I think I'm gonna gag!"  
  
My eyes snapped open. Damn, I had just been starting to fall asleep. I looked up, half expecting to see Jesse, but then why would he be straddling me like that? Don't tell me he's…  
  
"Wake up, little princess!" the voice said nastily. It was a woman's voice. I squinted…crap…  
  
It was Bianca.  
  
She was smiling at me maliciously, her eyes bright. She was holding something to my throat…a knife? No…her CLAW.  
  
Talk about déjà vu. Does my throat have a "cut me" sign on it or something?  
  
"What do you want?" I asked, hiding my fear.  
  
Bianca grinned at me. "So good of you to ask, Miss Mediator." She got off of me, standing beside my bed. But something was wrong…I couldn't move. I wouldn't move. I tried to kick my legs, flail my arms, do something, anything…  
  
Oh, great, not this again.  
  
"Stand up," Bianca commanded. My body obediently stood up and at attention in front of her. I couldn't speak, so I watched in horror as Bianca's claw came towards my face… She put the tip of her finger on my nose. Okaaaay…  
  
But then something started happening to her. She was…changing, I realized. Her face was melting into a different shape, she was growing shorter, her claws became hands, even her clothes, which was previously a gothic-type dress thing, was changing. And then…  
  
She was me. Her face, her nightie, everything. She had transformed herself to look like me.  
  
And I ask you…who in their right mind would want to look like me???  
  
I would have asked her that myself, had I control of my body.  
  
She smiled at me again. Do you have any idea how weird it is to have your own face smiling at you? It was downright freakish.  
  
Unless you're a twin, of course, but whatever.  
  
"Now, Susannah," she said, sweetly, in my own voice (did I really sound that squeaky?), "I want you to be a good little girl, and crawl under your bed and be absolutely silent."  
  
Why the hell did she want me to do that???  
  
Well, it didn't matter, because I was doing it, whether I wanted to or not.  
  
Once I was wedged under the bed, where I could still look up and see what was going on in my room, I heard Bianca say, "Now I want you to call your boyfriend."  
  
No. No I'm not doing it.  
  
"Call him now."  
  
NOOOOO!!!! I fought with all the energy I had left. I wouldn't let her take Jesse! But it was so hard… I couldn't do it… I tried my best…  
  
But Jesse heard me anyway, and came.  
  
He materialized sitting on the bay window. He looked so beautiful with the moon shining down on him like that. He looked up at Bianca. "Susannah?" he said, looking worried. "Is something wrong?"  
  
YES, JESSE, THERE IS SOMETHING WRONG!!!! HE THOUGHT THAT WAS ME!!!!!   
"Yes, Jesse…" Bianca said in a really sad voice. Boy, she was a good actress.  
  
Jesse got up, looking really concerned. He put his hands on Bianca's shoulders and looked her in the eyes. "What is it querida?"  
  
You wanna know what my problem is, Jesse? OK, how about, I'm stuck under the damn bed while you swoon over my demon look alike!  
  
Bianca sniffled. "I - I - I missed you…"  
  
Jesse looked shocked, then he smiled. "You - you missed me?" He felt her forehead. "Are you feeling okay, Susannah?"  
  
Bianca looked like she was about to cry. "Why are you laughing at me, Jesse?" she whispered.  
  
"Oh - oh, you're serious," Jesse said. "Uh…"  
  
"Uh" is right! This girl really doesn't know how to be Susannah Simon, does she? I mean…she was acting pathetic!  
  
She sniffled again. "Oh, Jesse!" she wailed pitifully. "You don't love me!"  
  
What the hell…  
  
Jesse was looking at Bianca with a "What the hell…" expression of his own.  
  
"Um.… Of course I love you, querida… uh…"  
  
Ah, Jesse loves me!  
  
She stopped crying all of sudden. I couldn't see her face, but all I know is, she suddenly jumped on Jesse - I mean, really jumped, like wrapped her legs around his hips and everything - and started heavy-duty kissing him.  
  
I wanted to scream. Except, of course, I couldn't.  
  
Jesse was shocked. He stumbled backwards with the force of her jump, and sort of swung his arms back to keep from falling. His eyes were wide and totally disbelieving. And she was all out - seriously. Tongue and everything.  
  
RAAARRRRRGGGG!!!!! I'M GONNA KILL HER!!!!  
  
Then Jesse sort of hesitantly put his arms around her, and started kissing her back, though not as enthusiastically. He looked very confused.  
  
Yoo, hoo! Here under the bed! I'm down here! Jesse! JESSE, DOWN HERE, DAMMIT!  
  
Then, almost as if he heard me call him, Jesse broke the kiss and literally, I mean literally, dropped Bianca to the floor. It was extremely gratifying to watch. She fell on her butt and looked around, shocked. Jesse was standing rigid, almost like a dog at attention. "Susannah?" he whispered.  
  
Bianca glared at me, then. "Shut the hell up," she thought to me.  
  
"Yeah, right," I thought back.  
  
"Jesse," Bianca barked, stumbling to her feet.  
  
Jesse looked down at her. "Oh, uh…sorry, I thought for a second…"  
  
"Never mind. I'm leaving." She went to my closet and picked something out…my leather mini.  
  
Oh, no you don't!  
  
But she did. She changed clothes right there, in front of Jesse, without even caring. Jesse just kind of blushed and turned around. When Bianca was ready, she said to Jesse, "Alright, let's go." She opened the bay window and started to climb out.  
  
Jesse frowned. "Susannah, you're acting very strange. Where are you going?"  
  
Bianca sighed. "If you must know, I'm going to fight the demons."  
  
Jesse immediately protested. "Susannah, you are not -"  
  
"Yes I am." She said it in this weird way, and her eyes sort of glowed.  
  
"Yes you are," Jesse repeated dully.  
  
"And you are coming with me."  
  
"And I am coming with you."  
  
Great, now she was pulling the mind control thing on Jesse.  
  
Bianca turned and grinned at me savagely. I blinked back, since that was all that I could do, anyway. Then they both dematerialized.  
  
As soon as they were gone, I had control of my body again. I climbed out from under the bed, coughing from all the dust down there. Jeez, what just happened?   
  
Bianca just came and took Jesse away.  
  
Crap.  
  
I ran to my closet, whipping out a pair of black sweats and a black tee. I got my belt, you know, the one with all the tools in it, and put it on. I tied my hair up in a quick ponytail. I jumped out the bay window and climbed down. Then I started running as fast as I could, down the driveway, down the street. Screw the bike, I was mad as anything, and anyway, I needed the exercise. I was going to get my Jesse back. Again.  
  
And I had a pretty good idea of why Bianca had taken him, because according to the what I read, she needed to destroy a pure soul to open the gateway to Hell. And Jesse's about as pure as you can get, believe me.  
  
As I ran through the freezing night, my heart pounding and my thoughts racing, Father Dom's final words came back to me:   
"The rip in the dimension is in the chapel. You know, where we exorcised you."  
And I knew where to go.  
  
A/N: I know it's short! Sorry, please don't hate me!!! I didn't have too much time though... We are approaching the end of the story, and I'm seriously considering a sequel. But first I want to see how you guys like my story when it's done. Till then... PLEASE REVIEW!!!!! 


	9. The Gateway

A/N: Thanks for the great reviews, guys!!! Sorry I left you with the cliffhanger. I hope I can make it up to you with this chapter. Oh, and as for the leering...uh, no comment.  
Enjoy!  
  
It was pitch black at the school - except for the weird flickering lights in the windows of the chapel. I took this as an invitation. I crept along the fence until I got to my usual entrance, and, using my expert thievery skills, I crawled under the fence. I tiptoed to the entrance, whipping out my set of lock picks.  
  
Well, it turned out I didn't even need to. The door swung open before I even touched it.  
  
And I nearly dropped the lock picks in shock of what I saw.  
  
In the exact spot of my exorcism, there was a huge pillar of purple light. That's the only way to describe what I saw. My mouth was literally hanging open. I mean…it was beautiful. The whole room was glowing with the weird light.   
  
Recovering from my shock, I glanced around. There was nobody there.   
No Paul, no Bianca, no Jesse. This was strange.  
  
I cautiously began to walk down the main aisle, making my way towards the pillar of light. The closer I got, the less beautiful it looked. It looked way more threatening. But it still didn't seem to be posing any threat.  
  
I stopped about a foot away from it. I glanced behind me, making sure that nobody had materialized behind me or anything. Then I reached out my hand, and slowly stretched it out towards the light…  
  
"No, Susannah."  
  
I looked up. "Jesse!"  
  
He was standing in the center of the light, gazing at me with this incredibly sad look in his eyes. "Don't touch the light."  
  
"But Jesse - how can I -"  
  
"Susannah, listen to me. Don't touch the light. You - you can't handle this. They'll rip you apart. Please…just go back."  
  
I couldn't believe what he was saying. Like I was going to go home and leave him here. "No, Jesse. I won't leave you."  
  
"Querida -"  
  
"Don't you 'querida' me, mister. I'm not letting them take you."  
  
And I jumped into the light.  
  
Or I tried to. Except that I couldn't. I couldn't move. Not this again…  
  
"You should listen to your boyfriend, Suze," Paul's voice said right behind me. "Jumping into the light like that would not be a good idea."  
  
I looked at Jesse. He looked back at me. Then his eyes focused behind me, and a look of hatred crossed his features.  
  
"Step away from the light, Suze, and come here."  
  
My body obeyed, turning around and walking towards Paul. A few feet behind him, Bianca was standing, no longer looking like me, with a very smug look on her annoyingly pretty face.  
  
If only I had control of my body, her face wouldn't be so pretty anymore.  
  
"Suzie," Paul said, shaking his head and chuckling. "I had a feeling you would come."  
  
"You let him go," I growled into his mind. "Or I'll -"  
  
"Or you'll what?" Paul replied, out loud. "Jump into the light and destroy both yourself and Jesse?" He chuckled, folding his arms. "I don't think so, querida," he said mockingly. He turned to Bianca. "Well," he said. "What happens next?"  
  
Bianca stepped forward. She glanced at me, smirking, then turned back to Paul. "Now, I will perform the ritual. And -" she looked back towards me, "-your precious ghost will be destroyed, and the gate will open. Then Paul and I will have complete control over the armies of hell, and you -" her eyes narrowed, "-you will be a slave to us."  
  
"Bianca," Paul said reproachfully. "I told you she would be my queen."  
  
"Whatever," Bianca said. "It's the same thing anyway."  
  
"You," Jesse's voice growled from behind me, "will leave Susannah alone! She didn't do anything to-"  
  
"You," Bianca said, her eyes glowing purple, "will shut up."  
  
"I," Jesse replied dully, "will shut up."  
  
Bianca laughed cruelly. And there I was, completely powerless to stop what was about to happen. My eyes started to fill with tears. Paul looked at me, and his face actually showed concern for me.  
  
"Suze," he said, and he stepped up to me and stroked my cheek lovingly. My tears spilled over and rolled down my cheeks. I hated Paul's touch. "Don't worry about him, okay?" he smiled reassuringly. "It'll be over soon, and you'll forget him." He leaned towards me, and whispered, "You are a half demon, just like me, Suze. We'll be together forever. We'll be happy. I'll make you happy."  
  
If I could, I would've spit in his face. "I'll never be happy with you," I said into his mind. "I will never want you."  
  
Paul just looked over my shoulder at Bianca, still stroking my cheek absently. "Begin the ritual."  
  
"As you wish," I heard Bianca say. "Kalib hatmah hrobif lorekhmah -"  
  
I shut my eyes. The tears were coming out uncontrollably. It was happening. I could hear the whooshing sound behind me, like there was lots of wind. I couldn't see what was happening, and I didn't want to. I could tell Jesse was saying something, but I couldn't hear it over the noise. I opened my eyes again. Paul was looking into my eyes, an unreadable expression on his face. He was still stroking my cheek, now wet with my tears.  
  
"Make it stop, please," I whispered into his mind. "Make it stop."  
  
He smiled faintly. "You are so beautiful, Suze," he said. "I've dreamed of you every night since I first saw you…" He began to lean towards me, his eyes closing. And I had no choice but to lean into him, my eyes closing as well…  
  
This was it. This was the end. Paul was going to kiss me, and I would be his forever. Bianca was still saying the weird incantations, I could hear Jesse, he was screaming now…he sounded like he was in pain. All I wanted to do was be back in my room, talking with him…kissing him…holding him… But never again.  
  
I would never see my Jesse again.  
  
As the thought struck me, something weird happened. I can't explain it, but it's like…a warmth started spreading through me. I opened my tear-filled eyes, and I saw Paul's face. He had stopped coming towards me, inches away from my lips. His eyes were wide and shocked. I looked into his eyes, and I saw myself reflected in his eyes.  
  
A mild shock hit me, but I realized, that somehow, I had known all along. Reflected in Paul's disbelieving eyes, I saw my eyes…strangely sad and beautiful. And my face…was glowing with a bright, pure white light.  
  
I was no longer under Paul's control. I looked down at my hands, and realized that my entire body was glowing with that same light. I turned away from Paul. There was Bianca, still chanting, her arms raised. The pillar of light was no longer a beautiful purple, but a deep, horrible red. At the top, near the ceiling, I could see what must have been the rip in the dimension, only it wasn't to the Shadowland. It was to someplace much worse.  
  
I saw Jesse, floating towards the portal, flailing his arms and legs wildly, still screaming…  
  
My eyes narrowed on Bianca. She didn't notice how I had transformed. Her eyes were closed in concentration. I approached her, angrily, and punched her right in the face.  
  
Okay, not the most graceful of approaches, but I was mad, okay?  
  
Bianca's eyes opened in shock. "Wha-"  
  
Behind me, the pillar of light was still glowing red, and Jesse was still going towards the portal.   
  
Oh, no. It was too late to stop the ritual. It was going to happen.  
  
I turned around. Paul and Bianca were both standing, watching me with…fear. I looked back at the light, at Jesse…  
  
And I jumped.  
  
The red light engulfed me, the noise was deafening, a constant roar in my ears. I felt the familiar sensation of my spirit leaving my body. I looked down. My body was lying there, unconscious, but not glowing. I was still glowing though. I looked up. I saw Jesse. He was going through the portal now. And I realized with a start what was in the portal.  
  
It was Hell. And I could see a huge gateway, slowly opening as Jesse came closer to it.  
  
"Jesse!" I called out. I couldn't reach him in time. Then I felt something happening…there was a weird tingling sensation at my sides.   
  
I had wings. Huge, bright, blindingly white wings.  
  
I glided to Jesse. Somehow, I had this incredible strength in me. I grabbed Jesse around the waist, and pulled him back. He felt limp in my arms. I pulled him backwards, flapping my wings as hard as I could. It wasn't working. We were still being sucked into Hell.   
  
No…  
  
In a last, desperate attempt, I flung Jesse down, with all of my strength. I watched him as he fell…he fell out of the light, but I couldn't see anything beyond the red vortex. I looked back up towards Hell. The gateway was still opening. I realized with a start…that now it was me who was the sacrifice.  
  
I didn't care. I knew Jesse was safe, and that was all I needed to know.  
  
I stopped struggling, and just kind of drifted towards the gateway. I closed my eyes…I could feel my skin starting to burn up…it was happening, I was fading…I was going to be destroyed…  
  
"Susannah!"  
  
I kept my eyes closed, fighting back the tears. I knew it was Jesse calling me.  
  
"Susannah!"  
  
This time I had to open my eyes. Because Jesse's voice was right behind me. I turned in surprise. Jesse was right behind me, fighting to reach me.   
  
"No, Jesse, go back! Stop it!"   
  
He had a look of determination on his face. "No! I won't leave you!" He reached me and wrapped his arms around my waist, latching onto me. He whispered into my ear, "If you go, Susannah, then I go with you."  
  
We were in Hell now. There was no turning back. The gateway was still opening, and I could still feel myself burning. I ignored the pain, and turned in Jesse's arms. I looked into his eyes, my eyes filling with tears.  
  
He looked back at me, and smiled faintly.  
  
"Jesse," I whispered, my voice cracking. "I - I - I came to save you…why did you come back?"  
  
Jesse pulled me tighter against him. "Because, querida. I love you with…every fiber of my being. There just wouldn't be any point to me existing without you by my side."  
  
I couldn't help it…I started crying again. "Jesse…" I hugged him tight. I hated that he came back for me. But in a way…I was almost happy.  
  
Almost.  
  
I looked back up at him. He had a pained expression on his face. I realized with dismay that he was fading. I looked down at me hands. I was fading, too.   
  
That was it. We were just going to disappear like that.  
  
It would be like we had never existed.  
  
Suddenly, we jerked to a stop. I looked back up at Jesse in surprise. He was no longer fading.   
  
"What going on…?"  
  
"I - I don't know…"  
  
We just kind of hung there in midair, and then there was a noise behind us. The gateway to Hell…it was closing.  
  
"Oh my god…"  
  
Then some invisible force was pulling us back. I didn't know how, but we were going back through the portal, still holding onto each other. The red vortex of light was gone. I looked down. I was being pulled back down towards my body. Then I noticed Paul. His eyes were closed, and his arms were outstretched towards us.  
  
Paul was bringing us back, I realized in shock.  
  
But why?  
  
Jesse reached the ground, and let me slide out of his arms, back into my body. I opened my eyes and gasped for air. I felt incredibly weak. I tried to stand up, but I couldn't.  
  
I was back to normal, I realized. No more light, no more wings.  
  
Where did all that light come from, anyway?  
  
I tried to sit up, at least. I couldn't.  
  
"Shhh…" I heard Jesse say. Strong arms wrapped around me, and lifted me up. I looked up. Jesse was carrying me in his arms. "It's alright, querida. I've got you." He was smiling at me. I smiled back weakly.  
  
"Suze," Paul said. We both looked up at him.  
  
"You stay away!" Jesse shouted.  
  
Paul ignored him. "Suze," he repeated. "You…" He seemed at a loss for words. He had an amazed look on his face. "You're…not one of us. You're not a demon. You're…something else. Of the light."  
  
Of the light…did he mean…an angel????  
  
He didn't say. He just shook his head in disbelief.  
  
"Where is Bianca?" Jesse demanded.  
  
"Bianca…" Paul closed his eyes. "I…had to destroy her." He opened his eyes, and looked at me. "It was the only way to save you, Suze." He took a step towards us. "I…I still love you. And just because you aren't what I thought you were…it doesn't mean you can't be my queen. You will be my queen, Suze."  
  
"You will not lay a hand on her," Jesse replied fiercely.  
  
Their arguing was interrupted when I started laughing. It was a small, weak laugh, but I couldn't help it. It was just funny to me. Jesse, fighting with Paul over me, who wanted to make me his queen and take over the world with me.  
  
And to top it all off, I was an angel. Me, who always prided myself on being bad.  
  
Laughing must have depleted the last of my strength, though, because a moment later, everything went dark, and I passed out.  
  
A/N: I hope you guys enjoyed. I worked really hard on this, and I hope you guys liked how I settled all the demon business. Well, it's not exactly settled, but whatever. So, next chapter will be the final one. PLEASE REVIEW!!!!! 


	10. Sunset

A/N: Sorry it took me so long to post this, guys! I haven't had too much time. I won't bore you any longer, please read and enjoy!  
  
I woke up in my bed. My muscles ached really bad, and I had a pounding headache. I sat up with a groan, and looked out the window. The sun was setting. Had I really slept the whole day? Wasn't there school today? They probably couldn't wake me up. Mono again.  
  
Yeah, right.  
  
"Susannah," I heard Jesse say. He had materialized, sitting on the bay window. I smiled at him.  
  
"Hey," I said.  
  
"I…" He didn't seem to know what to say. "Uh…are you feeling okay?"  
  
I sighed. Well, what had I expected? For him to profess his undying love to me (again) and leap into a make-out session?   
  
"Yeah, I'm way better."  
  
"Good," he said. His gaze lingered on me for another moment, then he looked out at the sunset. It didn't look like he was going to say anything alse.  
  
"Um…Jesse?"  
  
He looked at me again. "Yes, querida?"  
  
"Do you know…what all that light is? I mean - Paul said that I was 'of the light'. Does that mean I'm an…an angel?"  
  
Jesse looked thoughtful for a moment, then he smiled at me, and got up. He came and sat beside me on the bed. "An…angel, querida?"  
  
I looked down, kind of embarrassed. I didn't mean to flatter myself or anything. "Um…it was just a thought…" I murmured.  
  
Jesse hand touched my chin, lifting my face to look at his still smiling face. "Of course you're an angel, Susannah. What else could you be?"  
  
"Oh," I said, my mouth suddenly dry. I could feel myself blushing. "So…then mediators are either angels or demons. Is that what it is?"  
  
Jesse's hand slipped away. "I don't know. But…your gift must come from somewhere. And considering what happened last night…it seems to be the logical explanation."  
  
We were silent for a while. Then I said, "What happened to Paul?"  
  
"After you passed out," Jesse answered, "He just walked out. He said something about the Gateway only being one method of getting what he wants."  
  
"Only one method…" The sun was casting beautiful orange and red colors on my bedroom walls. I got up, still feeling a little weak, but much stronger than before. I went to the bay window, opened it, and climbed out. I felt like watching the sun go down. Jesse followed me, and we both sat together on the edge of the roof, our feet dangling down.  
  
We watched the sun go down together. We didn't say anything, but it was a comfortable silence. At some point, Jesse fingertips touched mine. He tried to pull his hand away.  
  
Oh, no you don't!  
  
I grabbed his hand, just like the night before. He looked at me, surprised for a moment, then he smiled, and I smiled back. I felt so happy there, sitting on the roof with Jesse. I started to hum to myself. He pulled me into his embrace, and I sunk back onto his chest with a sigh of content.  
  
It seemed like today, all of my dreams were coming true.  
  
And all of my nightmares.  
  
"Jesse?" I said, once the sun had set and there was nothing left but the red streaks on the clouds.  
  
"What is it, querida?" he whispered into my hair.  
  
I snuggled closer to him. I suddenly felt this horrible sadness in me.  
  
"I - wish -" To my dismay, my voice was already choking up. "I wish - we could -"  
  
"I know," Jesse said, and to my surprise, his voice cracked. "I know. I wish it, too. But…we can't…"  
  
"Yes we can," I whispered, my eyes filling with tears. "I'll find a way, Jesse. I promise."  
  
He didn't say anything. I don't know how long we sat there on the roof, but we stayed there until the sky darkened, and the full moon rose. I looked up at Jesse. He looked back at me.  
  
He was so damn hot.  
  
He kissed my forehead, then looked into my eyes, his eyes shining, and I thought he was going to kiss me, so I let my lids drop, and let my lips relax…  
  
Then he said, "Susannah, were you ever attracted to Paul?"  
  
My eyes snapped open, the romantic atmosphere totally shattered. "What???"  
  
"You heard me," he said, frowning now. "Paul - were you ever attracted to him?"  
  
I gawked at him. I mean…helloooo? This is the part where you kiss me!!!!  
  
"Susannah," he said, sternly, "answer me."  
  
I was pissed off now.  
  
"Why?" I said, lifting myself from his arms to glare at him. "You jealous?" I said with a grin.  
  
Jesse's eyes widened. "There's nothing to be jealous of!"  
  
"Oh, yeah?" I said. I was suddenly feeling very malicious. "Well, what if I told you we had ###?"  
  
Jesse's eyes literally bugged out of his head. "You WHAT???? Susannah, you gave yourself to a man out of wedlock???" He looked like he was about to have a heart attack. "You gave yourself to - to - PAUL?????"  
  
"You're jealous!" I said. Then I started laughing. It was the funniest thing in the world, seriously, to see Jesse standing there with that expression on his face. He must have realized I was joking, because he suddenly looked furious. I mean, I would have been scared if I wasn't laughing quite so hard.  
  
"Susannah," he said, very quietly. "Susannah, I'm warning you -"  
  
This only made me laugh harder.  
  
I should have kept my mouth shut.  
  
Because what he did next totally blew my mind. I mean, was this guy really a "pure soul"? Because he sure wasn't acting like one.  
  
Jesse - you know, innocent, girls-shouldn't-wear-skirts-that-are-higher-than-their-knees Jesse - ripped his shirt off.  
  
I am not even kidding.  
  
He stood over me, like that, holding his shirt in one hand, smirking wickedly at me. I sucked in my breath. My laughter had suddenly caught in my throat. I started at his abs, so strong-looking and well-defined, at his broad chest, then back at his abs. My face was totally burning up. It was the weirdest moment of my weird life.  
  
"Up here, Susannah," Jesse said. I looked up at his face. He was giving me this incredibly smug, incredibly HOT look. "That's what I thought," He said. He said it in the deepest, sexiest voice I had ever heard.  
  
Then he dematerialized.  
  
OH. MY. GOD.  
  
And that was just my first day of school. Jeez.  
  
A/N: Well, so ends this fic. I hope that ending shocked you, because it sure shocked me. It came out of nowhere. OMG, what have I done to Jesse????  
Anyway, I'll probably do a sequel, so keep your eyes open for it. Hope you guys enjoyed!  
Oh, do I really have to say it...okay...  
REVIEW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  
Oh, and thanks to everyone who reviewed. You guys really kept me going. And just so you know, whether or not I do a sequel mostly depends on the reviews. 


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